This invention relates to a tee ball stand with a rolled ball holder. More specifically, this invention relates to a tee ball stand with a resiliently collapsible, frusto-conically shaped ball holder.
Tee ball stands are characteristically used in the process of teaching young children to hit a ball with a bat. The typical tee ball stand comprises a ground engaging base which supports an adjustable vertical pole having a ball support cup on the upper end. A ball is placed on the support cup so a youngster can then strike at the stationary ball by swinging a bat instead of the more difficult task of attempting to hit a moving ball. With limited experience or limited coordination, the youngster may occasionally strike the cup or pole holding the ball, rather than the ball itself. This can be expected as part of the learning process. As a result, however, the tee ball stand is frequently tipped over or moved and has to be repositioned for the training session to continue. This can be a source of frustration and discouragement, as well as a safety concern, for the youngster and coach in the event of inadvertent contact with errant bat swings.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,227,691, 4,709,924, 4,819,937, 4,962,924, 5,004,234, 5,916,045, 6,099,418 and 6,884,185, as well as others, are characteristic of various tee ball practice devices having a base plate that rests flat on the ground to support some type of ball holding apparatus.
The ball support cup for most tee ball stands are of a molded construction and are somewhat rigid. This results in movement or tipping of the tee ball stand if the cup is struck by an errant blow of the bat. Accordingly, there have been prior art support cups proposed to more readily yield to a side force. One such solution is a ball holder as shown by Tanner in U.S. Pat. No. 6,358,163 formed of flexible sheeting rolled into a frusto-conical shape.
Tanner subsequently acknowledges, in his U.S. Pat. No. 6,682,445, that the ball holder of his earlier patent did not hold well during use and was subject to tearing. In the '445 patent, Tanner claims to have improved the ball holder of the '163 patent by eliminating the lacing required to hold the sheeting material in the frusto-conical strip and by wrapping the lower end of the sheeting material with an elastic wrap. In use, however, this construction has not been reliable. Although tears and ripping of the sheeting material is less common, failure of the material to retain its shape and to remain functionally assembled atop the upright pole have been problems. Indeed, in the '445 patent, Tanner suggests repair of the sheeting material 90 with pieces cut from truck tires and use of a bicycle inner tube for the elastic wrap 95.
Accordingly, a need remains in the field of sports for a tee ball stand with a resiliently flexible ball holder that can repeatedly return to a frusto-conical shape after be struck with a baseball bat. The primary objective of this invention is to meet these needs.